This research examines the impact of acculturation and immigration through the lived experience of first, second, and third generation Hispanic/Latina clinical art therapists. The objectives include the exploration of cultural identity, processing the immigration experience and the role of art therapy. Topics that emerge in the general literature include development of identity, depression, and immigration-related stressors. Although the art therapy literature is limited within the context of immigration and acculturation, information regarding the role of the art, common imagery in groups, and the importance of cultural awareness is available. An arts-based approach is used in the clinical work to help inform each researcher’s acculturation and immigration experience. Through the clinical modality, each researcher processed their immigration story. Themes of sense of identity, family, tension/struggle and choice of materials arise in the findings. The meanings, for each participant vary, encompassing the differences in each of the immigration and acculturation experiences. The results expose the variety of issues encountered when working with immigrant and acculturated Hispanic/Latino/Latina individuals. The findings include the impact of identity, mental health issues and immigration-related stressors.

This qualitative research study presents an examination of the role that art making fulfills in the recovery efforts following the development of a physical disability due to a trauma. Preexisting literature informed the current study on art making’s ability to manage psychological and physical stressors that can accompany the development of a physical disability due to a trauma experience. The current study utilized a focus group to gain a better understanding of art making’s benefits by obtaining firsthand accounts from individuals with experience incorporating art making in their own recovery process. Data collected during the focus group suggests that the art making process is beneficial as part of the recovery efforts. Data showed that art making possesses the ability to aid with the processing of psychological and physical stressors encountered during recovery, and functions as an integrative process that helps individuals to accommodate their new identities. Such findings suggest that the inclusion of art therapy, of which art making is the core foundation, can be a beneficial component to incorporate into recovery efforts.

The purpose of this study was to explore existential group art therapy (EGAT) as an alternate or integrated method in treating clients with substance abuse and a history of trauma. Subjects for this study were male and/or female adults, ages 18 and older, volunteer participants who were in treatment for substance addiction at Tarzana Treatment Centers. A group of seven participants who met the criteria for both substance abuse and history of trauma received Existential Group Art Therapy (EGAT) treatment for eight consecutive weeks. Participants were asked to fill out the Scale for Existential Thinking (SET) at the start of the group and at the end of the treatment process to determine whether or not there was an increase in “existential thinking” following eight weeks of EGAT. The group engaged in the art-making process and discussion of their artwork each week, and were asked to answer Post Group Survey Questions (PGSQ) after the termination of the group. This study details four of the seven participants since they attended most consistently and were deeply engaged in the process. The statistical significance of the observed results was measured using a paired two sample for means T-test (one-tailed). Changes in SET scores were deemed to be statistically significant with a result of p

College student-athletes are having an increasingly amount of mental health concerns recently at an alarming rate. Therefore, researchers should attempt to better understand how student-athletes can cope with their mental health problems to improve their mental and physical well-being. The researcher administered a questionnaire to 300 college students, 150 student-athletes and 150 non-athletes from the University of the Pacific using various modified scales examining emotional intelligence, depression, anxiety, coping strategies, intentions to seek help, self-stigma, public stigma, social network stigma, alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, and communication competence. The data were analyzed to determine the severity of student-athletes’ mental health and the effect emotional intelligence, perceived stigmas, intention to seek help, and communication competence has on their depression and anxiety compared to their non-athlete counterparts. Emotional intelligence has a significant positive relationship with depression, anxiety, and intention to seek help. Therapy has a significant positive relationship in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms as well. Communication competence also has a significant positive relationship with intention to seek help. In addition, the correlation analysis found a significant positive relationship between low emotional intelligence and negative coping strategies such as substance abuse, self-blame, and denial. These results suggests that a student-athlete’s ability to engage in high levels of communication competence and openly share concerns about their depression and anxiety can contribute to important relationships between emotional intelligence, therapy, and intentions to seek help to reduce these mental health problems. This study also determines that open communication about depression and anxiety can decrease engaging in negative coping strategies and the perceived stigmas that surrounds mental health.

Training delivered to medical students and residents in behavioral health is widely acknowledged to be inadequate. While the use of standardized patients is common in medical training and education for physical health conditions via the adherence to clinical protocols for evaluation and treatment, this approach is infrequently used for behavioral health conditions. Used under specific circumstances, standardized patient encounters have long been considered a reliable method of training and assessing trainee performance on addressing physical health conditions, and are even comparable to ratings of directly observed encounters with real patients. This paper discusses common issues and challenges that arise in using standardized patients in behavioral health. Although current evidence of its value is modest and challenges in implementation exist, the use of standardized patients holds promise for medical training and education and as an evaluation tool in behavioral health.

This qualitative study examined the viability of traditional stories in substance abuse treatment. The subjects for this study were young women ages 18-30 who were in substance abuse treatment in a small, rural, health department. During the 4-week study, 4 traditional stories were used in group sessions that gave the women a common reference point and a common language to frame discussions. Using story in the IOP sessions helped to create a safe, supportive environment as well as creating an opening for discussions about trauma and abuse, and other significant issues. Principles of 12 Step Recovery were woven into the discussion to help the participants deal with and reframe their experiences.

Binge drinking (BD) entails excessive alcohol intake in a short time period. Despite numerous negative outcomes associated with BD and efforts to curtail it, rates remain steady. Thus, it is important to identify "who" binge drinks and "why" it occurs. Drawing from past research, I sought to replicate the link between trait narcissism and BD; moreover, I examined if overconfidence and confidence-based risk-taking assessed via the Georgia Gambling Task (GGT), explained why they did so. The results generally supported my hypotheses. As expected, narcissism related to poor GGT performance and high levels of BD; likewise, poor GGT performance related to BD. GGT performance accounted for (i.e., mediated) the narcissism-to-BD relation, but only partially, in subsequent regression analyses. In the discussion I focus on the social and clinical relevance of these findings especially for university interventions, parents, and therapists. I also discuss avenues for future research including other potential mediators.

Social action - art therapy and complex trauma are relatively unknown and are not yet understood by the mental health field. This heuristic study seeks to explore the synergy between art making and social action as it applies to an adult survivor of childhood complex trauma. The researcher used 14 of 46 childhood complex trauma life stores as a stimulus for art making. The data was then analyzed to explicate meanings, patterns and connections. This analysis revealed that the art was used as evidence to counteract invisible systems of abuse. The art highlighted secondary traumas, contexts, and multiplicity effects of numerous traumas. These art works and new meanings culminated in a creative synthesis, which compelled the social action component. New and profound understanding of the researcher’s history of complex trauma was illuminated through the art. Social action respectfully empowered a transformation from trauma survivor to thriving activist. This study supports the use of art and social action with adult complex trauma survivors.

This research project explores the work done by professionals who work with street children in Mumbai, India, and their perceptions of how art therapy could benefit this population. Ten organizations that serve street children in Mumbai, India participated in a qualitative interview and survey that aimed to gather information and explore the specific needs, psychological issues, and services provided to street children in Mumbai, India. The link between the surveys and the interviews strongly suggest an interest and desire from professionals to learn more about art therapy, and in corporate this modality into the services they provide for this population. The research found that the basic needs of food, shelter, and medical health are a foremost priority for organizations that serve street children, before psychological issues can be addressed. The literature, interviews, and the surveys also make it manifest that the development and incorporation of art therapy should be culturally specific, and sensitive to the needs of that population. Further research and study with these organizations is needed to garner a deeper understanding of how art therapy assessment and treatment modalities can be adapted to best serve street children in Mumbai, India.

Adolescence is a time of maturation, integration of selves, and, in the modern age, digital performance on social media. Conflicts in the identity vs. role confusion stage of Eriksonian development are addressed throughout this research, although the existing literature rarely connects them to online trends. A qualitative survey, sent to high school students, explores the tension between self-doubt and the desire to be seen. Responses indicate that teens who post on social media are attempting to make sense of their formative years via the reactions of this networked world. Certain participants show resistance to the phenomenon of the Selfie, implying that some adolescents may view it as merely a passing fad. Participants’ contradictory attitudes concerning social media and the Selfie reflect the four most recurrent themes: duality, insecurity, freedom of expression, and the communication gap between adolescents and adults.